Altos de San Antonio Clubhouse / Dutari Viale Arquitectos

Architects: Dutari Viale Arquitectos
Year: 2009
Photographs:SP-Gustavo Sosa Pinilla, DV-Dutari-Viale Arquitectos, RB-Roger Berta

Curated by ArchDaily

Text description provided by the architects. The project for a clubhouse and spa is located in the mountains of Cordoba, in the town of Carlos Paz. Its location in the mountains determines our design, as we propose to bring together the building with the views of the mountains, creating a shelter from the wind on a central plaza.

Our design considers important views of the site, in an area that overlooks the lake and the mountains, amid a topography with significant slopes.

Access is organized through a sequence of spaces. A semi-covered plaza generates a welcome atrium with the possibility for vehicular access. A series of thin concrete columns dilute the structure of the slab covering the access, generating an artificial grove that combined with a metal pergola, produce a changing play of light and shadow on the columns and flooring. Two perpendicular blue-gray stone planes hide the view for a moment, to immediately give way to the hall of the building. These blue-gray planes refer to the typical profile of the mountains of Cordoba, seen from afar. From there, the building opens up to the view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

The design proposes articulating the site with the program, dividing the project into two functional areas. In section, the project terraces the program, setting its functions in relation to the levels. The upper volume opens to the views, and the lower volume is embedded into the mountainside with its stone materiality.

The upper level houses the living rooms, restaurant café, movie theatre, multipurpose hall, facilities, and day care. The lower level houses the gym, spa, indoor pool, and youth areas.

The second area located on the lower level is materialized with a continuous stone wall on which rests the rest of the program.

The project explores the expressive possibilities of light, a subject of recurring interest in the works of our studio. This ability to introduce natural light into interior spaces in a controlled manner at different times of day reduces the building’s power consumption. The materials used (exposed concrete, natural stone, glass, and aluminum) allow finishes with low maintenance and a high visual quality.

The design of the building allows us to generate surfaces for horizontal use, by using the roofs of the lower level as garden terraces, designed as accessible, landscaped surfaces.

The outdoor pool, located on the upper level, floods through a stone wall into a pool on the lower level. We use the sound of water, a characteristic of the Cordoba mountains, to provide a particular quality in the space below.

At an end of the upper level, the building proposes a concrete pipe open to the views of the landscape. Before this, a terrace, which serves as an outer hall, links two garden terraces on either side. A metal pergola generates changing textures on the pavement and concrete wall through its play of light and shadow.

The building articulates the spaces with the landscape, generating framed views that allow the enjoyment of the encounter of architecture with nature in an environment typical of the mountains of Cordoba.

For the construction of the building, we used a separate reinforced concrete structure with foundation on the rock on site.

We used wall cladding and safety glass enclosures. In areas with special acoustic requirements such as the multipurpose room, DVH was used.

The stone walls are built with trimmings from the production of San Luis slate floors. This stone, traditionally used as slate, is used sideways displaying its sawed edge, which creates a smooth texture and its blue-gray color. Exterior floors are clad in the same material, but arranged as slate.

Interior floors are parquet and gray rustic tiles according to the different areas.